Manu Bhaker swaps sports with Smriti Mandhana

In an episode of JioCinema's ‘When Athletes Pick Up Another Sport,’ cricket superstar Smriti Mandhana and Olympics-bound shooter Manu Bhaker explored the dynamics of each other's sport.

With less than a week remaining for Paris 2024, the ace shooter who is competing in the women’s 10m air pistol, 25m pistol, and 10m air pistol mixed team events, explained the fine lines and technicalities of basic shooting to Mandhana.

The star batter, meanwhile, discussed how cricket is more about momentum and rhythm than technicalities.

While Mandhana received lessons around setting the right aim and maintaining the right posture, Bhaker emphasized the importance of precision in shooting.

“Shooting is a sport which gives a lot of emphasis to precision. Being a shooter, we need to maintain a very even pattern while breathing".

"While we take the shot, we hold on to our breathe and try shooting in between our heartbeats. This is something that takes a lot of training, practice, hard work, and experience,“ she added.

Bhaker took on the challenge of direct hits while discussing fielding drills with Mandhana guiding her on making the perfect throw.

After her drills, Bhaker shared how the aspect of throws while fielding has similarities to her shooting techniques.

“This was not an easy challenge to take, I tried a lot, with concentration. The breathing pattern and importance of focus is very similar to shooting, but then it is different in all other aspects,” said the ace shooter.

While sharing her experience of shooting, Mandhana spoke about how she can make shooting her go-to activity during her downtime and its potential impact.

“Shooting is something I would like to try on my off days. I loved the sport, and this will also help me be calm, something which is important for me due to my fidgety nature. In fact, with shooting, the chances of injuries are very low, and it can be a good unwinding activity,” said Mandhana.

The two shared a laugh when they were speaking about how they can also use shooting to channelize and vent their anger the right way.

You can catch all the live action of the upcoming Paris Olympics on JioCinema.